The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced this during a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden. The three winners will share a prize of 11 million Swedish Krona (872,000 GBP). These scientists developed an innovative type of molecular structures known as metal-organic frameworks, characterized by their large pores and cavities that allow molecules to move freely through them. This innovation paved the way for various scientific applications, such as extracting water from the air in desert areas, purifying water from pollutants, and capturing carbon dioxide and storing hydrogen gas.
Professor Kitagawa works at Kyoto University in Japan, Professor Richard Robson at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Professor Omar Yaghi (a Jordanian scientist of Palestinian origin) at the University of California, USA. Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in Medicine on Monday for their work on how the immune system attacks hostile infections.
Last year’s Chemistry Prize was awarded to three researchers in the field of proteins: American David Baker, and two UK-based scientists, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper.
